Social Media and Tourism

This week’s post relates to an interesting article about the utilization of social media within the tourism industry. The author provides a very thorough list of ways social media can be incorporated, but there are more opportunities for its use to benefit tourism. That author is Sarah Kessler and her article is “The Future of the Hotel Industry and Social Media” http://on.mash.to/ajZYcB. Her first point is ‘Extending Concierge Services’ and this involves a concierge Twitter feed to assist guests from their rooms or while they are on the go and even before they arrive. The second subheading is ‘On-Site Merchandising’ via specials and promos through location-based services like Facebook Places and Foursquare. Next is ‘Customer Service and Recovery’ via Facebook and Twitter, allowing them to be part of the ongoing conversation and win back disgruntled guests. Her fourth is ‘Last Minute Deals’ or using Twitter and Facebook to offer last-minute deals to fill rooms. The fifth is ’Facilitating Guest Communities,’  connecting guests and valuable customers. Last, but not least, is ‘Emphasizing Unique Properties,’ a way for smaller chains to get the word out.

Another article called “Geolocation Services: Find a Smartphone, Find a Customer” by Kermit Pattison http://nyti.ms/acDR3f  gave me a fresh perspective on the former article’s points, prompting some additional ideas of my own. My additions are geared toward expanding the ’On-Site Merchandising’ section. In the geolocation article Pattison discusses how businesses use Foursquare to delve into the analytics of their customer base (gender, frequency of visits, who they check in with, etc.) and about offering special deals to help bolster non-peak hours. This brings me to other points the author, and the tourism industry could incorporate. For instance, how about instead of or in addition to offering last-minute deals via Facebook and Twitter they offer specials during non-peak seasons to people close by at that time or to guests for off-peak seasons when they stay at other times? Also, what about using mobile bar code scans to offer special deals? People can scan a bar code on a sign in their room or somewhere else on the premises and that could generate a special offer. What about offering deals and specials to frequent visitors via Foursquare? These are just a few ideas. One thing is for sure, there are many opportunities for tourism to effectively utilize social media and tourism needs social media.

In-Store Displays Go Mobile

The retail experience is becoming increasingly more interactive. A trend that caught my attention this week is the increase of interactivity between in-store displays and mobile devices.  Otherwise known as mobile bar code scans that unlock and lead customers to more information about the products in front of them.  The growing trend is for bar code scans to prompt customers to visit additional sites on their mobile to learn more about a certain product, compare prices and view product reviews – all while in the store. “Is Bar Code Scanning the Key to Amazon’s Mobile Retail Dominance?” by Noah Elkin http://bit.ly/dC2IHI discusses a Scanbuy report that finds traffic generated from scans has increased 700% since January 2010, an indicator of its growing popularity. Amazon is cashing in, their iPhone app’s additional scanning component easily answers the question “Is this product cheaper on Amazon?” Meanwhile, stores like Gap, Target and K-Mart are using bar code scans to enlighten customers about their purchase prospects at point of sale with additional in-store product information delivered to their mobile devices.

Mobile Behavior’s “Mobile Shopping: Gap Uses Bar Codes to Deliver In-Store Info” http://bit.ly/aaCNQK describes how Gap is using 2D bar codes on its in-store displays to connect customers to online user reviews, videos and product information. Target provides an app and bar code scanner that links customers to additional product information, ratings and reviews. K-Mart has even taped video game reviews from its online presence that are accessible through its in-store displays. eMarketer’s “Mobile Consumers See Value in Advertising” http://bit.ly/d2slUF features a recent study by InMobi and comScore that found people are now more comfortable with seeing ads on their cell phones. People are more comfortable with accessing relevant information on their cell phones period. Perhaps in the future this bar code scanning trend will be combined with the geolocation trend and every retail store, etc. you check into will trigger ads, coupons, etc to appear and become accessible on your cell phone. Until that becomes the norm, it will be interesting to see which other stores adopt this new interactivity through the convergence of in-store displays and mobile devices.

The Fundamental Intersection of Marketing and PR

More and more, marketing and public relations are becoming similar. Not completely, but definitely in terms of objectives. Kye Stance’s “Is Marketing Consuming PR As A Distinct Discipline?  No – It’s Learning From It” http://bit.ly/9tDPoQ uses the example of link-building strategies to illustrate this point. With link-building strategies, usually relegated to SEO specialists, generating good content is extremely important because good content generates more links. In short, this intersects with media relations, which is a function of public relations. He references Lee Odden who states he observed ”…media relations people were pitching stories and getting links that affected the SEO results and…link-building people were pitching for links and getting editorial coverage.”  Basically Stance states that both marketing and PR are focused on “the approach of chasing and earning third-part credibility.”

At the same time that social media is becoming the intersection of marketing and PR, there are studies that show how fundamental the effects of print and good writing really are in melding the two together. A recent study by CMO Council titled “Print Still Leading Marketing Material” http://bit.ly/adtByC shows that print collateral is the most common form of marketing material produced, even with all of the multimedia options available now.  What makes good print collateral? Good writing. Jeremy Porter in the Journalistics blog entry “Upside Down Triangles Make Better Press Releases” http://bit.ly/djwCNz discusses how the art of the inverted pyramid is becoming a fading art form. This is a travesty because as discussed above, good content is the basis of good marketing and PR, which means that good writing is a vital skill. The inverted pyramid captures an audience’s attention faster by placing the more salient and need to know information at the very beginning and the nice-to-have information last where it can be cut as space dictates. Whether in print or online, people’s attention spans are increasingly short and this is a necessary tactic to employ. Let us not forget that everything is built upon the basics, and without the basics it falters. Good writing is the crux of good public relations and, consequently, good marketing.

Levi’s ‘Curve’ Ball or Not All Campaigns Are Created Equal

Recently, Levi’s launched its Curve ID campaign and launch of its new Curve ID jeans sizing system. Initially it sounds like a positive thing, but it has taken a lot of flack for its shortcomings. For more on that beyond my commentary, please see the two articles that inspired this post: “Frisky Exclusive Q&A: Levi’s Responds To Controversy Over Their Curve ID Jeans” by  Jessica Wakeman http://bit.ly/dxVhdN and “Levi’s Curve ID Thrown Curve Ball”  by Sheila Shayon http://bit.ly/9J4cSl. Here’s a little bit of background. The Curve ID jeans sizing system consists of the slight curve, the demi curve and the bold curve. Levi’s eliminated sizes to focus more on fitting a women’s varying curves. Their ad campaign tag line was “All Asses Are Not Created Equal.” In their online ad they feature three white women front and center, but have various ethnicities and sizes of women in their extended gallery of images. Naturally people called them out on the fact that their curve system was not all-inclusive.

Size 14 was the equivalent of their largest size and people tend to define curvy differently. I think that more research could have been done regarding this definition, as well as more research on who has the most problem fitting into jeans and liking the way they look. Levi’s spokespeople claim that they were eager to roll out and perfect the range of sizes within the initial three curves and plan to add more sizes and an additional curve. If I were Levi’s I think it would be more beneficial to roll everything out at once. That is like calling an incomplete product finished. It does not reflect positively; as presentation is important to consumers. As far as the models used, why not be more like Dove? Dove did an amazing job with their Dove Campaign For Real Beauty in that they showcased different ethnicities and sizes of women. It spoke to more women and Levi’s could have that same effect if they showcased that variety as well. At least this was a learning experience for them, and they have handled themselves well in responding to all of the controversy. However, I think my response helps show what could have been done differently and what should be done differently in the future. When crafting a campaign it is important to look at it from an outsider’s perspective as well, and not just from the insider perspective of a brand. Viewing it this way results in fewer outbursts and more brand loyalists in the end.

Cause Marketing Endures, Remains Popular

Cause marketing is the topic that attracted my attention this past week and, specifically, the report from Cone LLC strategy/communications agency. The marketingcharts.com article “Americans Seek Cause Opportunities”  inspired this post and has no visible author, but can be read here http://bit.ly/bSPohv. Even before the recession cause marketing was gaining speed and it is still popular now; perhaps even more so than before. Recent statistics from the report mentioned above show that 8 in 10 consumers (81%) want companies to provide them with the opportunity to buy a cause-related product.  88% say that a purchase of this type would not replace traditional donations they make otherwise. When many products in the same category support a cause,  87% of consumers say the social/environmental impact of the whole program influences their product choice. 86% say the amount per product sold that is donated (within the whole program of the product) is the determining factor in their purchase. Other high rankings include social/environmental impact of individual purchase (85%) and total amount given to the cause (83%).  

Perhaps two of the most prominent and widely publicized cause-related products are Tide (Loads of Hope) and Yoplait (Save Lids to Save Lives). $1 per bottle of Tide cap registered and $4 of every Tide T-shirt purchased goes towards providing free laundromat services to families in disaster areas http://bit.ly/R9fO4. Yoplait donates 10 cents per pink lid sent in to Susan G. Komen for the Cure up to $1.6 million and guarantees a donation of $500,000http://bit.ly/982WpH. Retail customers are always in search of an incentive, whether it’s a discount, a rebate or a cause to support. From a psychology point of view it goes back to the phrase “what’s in it for me?” If there is something associated with a product that can boost a person’s status quo amongst their peers, such as contributing to a cause, it makes the product more likely to gain support and sales. Also more people can emphasize with others who need help, not only because of similar situations they have been through, but because they know what it feels like to need help due to the recent recession. These psychological gains and emotional impacts make it likely that cause marketing will continue its prominence for a long time.